British Airways has won a court order to stop a 12-day strike planned by cabin crew over Christmas.
A judge at London's High Court upheld the airline's complaint that voting irregularities made the ballot invalid.
Lawyers for the British carrier argued in court that ballot papers were sent to staff who had left the company or were in the process of leaving and should not have been balloted, breaching industrial relations law.
BA cabin crew voted on Monday to walk out from December 22, escalating a dispute over job losses and changes to working practices.
Unite said the decision was a 'disgraceful day for democracy', adding that it would hold a fresh ballot unless the dispute was resolved. 'We will of course be studying the judgement, but the fact remains that this dispute is not settled,' it said.
BA said: 'There was never any need for a strike and we hope that Unite will take this opportunity to reflect before deciding its next steps. We believe the public would want that too.'
